Vogue may earn compensation on these sales through affiliate programs.

See more photos of:

Expand

Chris Peters and Shane Gabier of Creatures of the Wind

Photographed by Shawn Brackbill

See more photos of:

Expand

A rack featuring their Fall 2013 collection.

Photographed by Shawn Brackbill

See more photos of:

Expand

A detail shot of embellishment on a collar.

Photographed by Shawn Brackbill

See more photos of:

Expand

Peters works on some last-minute fittings.

Photographed by Shawn Brackbill

See more photos of:

Expand

Photographed by Shawn Brackbill

See more photos of:

Expand

Model Antonina in a navy coat collared with a petite cravate.

Photographed by Shawn Brackbill

See more photos of:

Expand

Twenty-one models confirmed total. Thirty-four looks decided on.

Photographed by Shawn Brackbill

See more photos of:

Expand

Sushi and coconut juice from Whole Foods—the first meal of the day.

Photographed by Shawn Brackbill

See more photos of:

Expand

The last pairs of Tabitha Simmons shoes—leather pumps with fastened satin and neoprene socks—arrive from Italy for the collection.

Photographed by Shawn Brackbill

See more photos of:

Expand

“So much of what we do is fantasy-narrative based,” Peters says. “We’re making the clothes we’d want to wear if we were girls.”

Photographed by Shawn Brackbill

See more photos of:

Expand

The designers fretting about last minute details.

Photographed by Shawn Brackbill

See more photos of:

It’s exactly 24 hours before the Creatures of the Wind Fall 2013 show at Eyebeam Art + Technology Center in New York City and designers Shane Gabier and Chris Peters find that something crucial to the prep process has gone missing. “What happened to the Beyoncé marathon?!” Peters says. “After the Super Bowl, all we’ve been listening to is Beyoncé.” He taps the mouse of a laptop and frowns: It isn’t his. “There are so many MacBook Airs around here!” Eventually, someone saves the Bey and the team gets back in its very organized groove. Almost no element of the show is up in the air at this phase of the game. “We’re driven by confident decisions early on,” Gabier says, and the preparation shows. “You make it all look so easy!” he tells a model walking by after changing into her second of three looks. The same could be said of the designers, who stay playful even into the wee hours of the night. They have a vision: “Shane turn on the music, yo!” Peters laughs. It’s showtime.

Wednesday, February 6The W Hotel, Union Square

Noon: The fall collection is called “Candy” and explores the appeal of plasticity and the pleasantness of the artificial. Peters and Gabier stare at a board with the models they’ve cast, calculating how many looks each will wear. They’re waiting to cast the last three girls for the show and have six coming in before the end of the day.

12:15 p.m.: The last pairs of Tabitha Simmons shoes—leather pumps with fastened satin and neoprene socks—arrive from Italy for the collection. “The thing about working with Tabitha is you know you’re in good hands,” Gabier says. “We roll with it. You have to let people do what they do well and not worry about it.”

2:30 p.m.: An assistant arrives with sushi and coconut juice from Whole Foods—the first meal of the day. Although the collection is inspired by candy, the only “sweets” around are clementines in a wooden crate on the table.

3:00 p.m.: Model Antonina arrives for a fitting. Stylist Emma Wyman puts her in a navy coat collared with a petite cravate. She considers one of the Pamela Love brooches laid out on the table. Love worked with the Creatures designers on a collection of jewelry inspired by Max Ernst paintings and early eighties experimental rock. “So much of what we do is fantasy-narrative based,” Peters says. “We’re making the clothes we’d want to wear if we were girls.”

3:05 p.m.: Model Vasilisa tries on an orange Sour Patch Kid–colored mohair sweater. Peters puts the show music—mixed by the pair’s friend Hisham Bharoocha—on a loop. The ten-minute track plays six times an hour. She puts on a shirt with hand-painted panels. Midchange, a button pops off and Peters calls the pattern-maker to see if they can come over to sew it on. The shirt is made of vinyl, which is tricky to stitch.

4:00 p.m.: A text from Aunt Vic: “I want to send u good wishes for tmrw.”

4:45 p.m.: Two friends from Europe e-mail to say they are in town and can attend the show. Claire, a graphic designer friend from Chicago, arrives to design the show notes. “Hi, Claire!” Peters says. She apologizes for being late. “I didn’t know what time you were coming so you’re not really late.”

7:00 to 9:00 p.m.: A team from Swarovski arrives for a video interview highlighting the Swarovski elements in the show. The designers show cool ties with ceramic tile beadwork that are cinched in the back with ribbon.

10:30 p.m.: Models—including a second Antonina—arrive for some final fittings. “We’re quick,” Gabier says. “The girls go in the clothes that fit their bodies.” At one point, when the music times out mid-model-walk, Claire and Libby Haan, the team’s public relations director, break out in beat box: “MM ch MM ch fashion fashion.”

11:00 p.m.: An assistant is sent out for coffee. The designers joke about having her go to their favorite spot in Chelsea, Café Grumpy. “Get some grumpy points!” Peters laughs.

Thursday, February 7

2:00 a.m.: Gabier surveys the room. “I’m sighing at how beautiful it looks.”

8:15 a.m.: Lighting test at Eyebeam. The designers play with atmospheric colored lights, finding the right shades of amber, rose, and gold. They have 1,600 color filters to choose from.

8:45 a.m.: They see the lighting for the finale for the first time. The models will come out not in a line “but in a storm,” Gabier says.

9:30 a.m.: The models’ hair and makeup is finalized. CND Nails reviews the palette for the nail sets.

10:15 a.m.: The assistants unpack shoes and assign them to racks of clothes ordered for the models. The stylist suggests cleaning the sunglasses with nail polish remover to get rid of smudges.

10:45 a.m.: A happy and excited Chris greets his parents.

11:00 a.m.: The jewelry is unpacked and arranged with detailed descriptions of how to put it on. Shane and Chris are running around, hugging friends and explaining inspiration. Chris and Shane finish each other’s sentences.

11:30 a.m.: Run-through is finished. The music is decided and we’ve agreed how fast the models should walk.